Okay, I've heard a bunch of things lately from different sources concerning a method for distinguishing a white pastel from a nurses pen and the sizes that pastel pens came in. I'm trying to distill this information into something like a actual definitive "rule" to visually figure out what I have and what I'm looking at...

Here is my attempt so far:

1) Pastels are available in a wide array of colors (many not cataloged) and include white models.

2) Pastels are always double jewels and usually purse pens but can be SJ size (3.75") but only rarely appear as LJ or J sizes)

3) Pastels usually have spoon levers, but can also have spade style levers

4) Nurses pens with black jewels appear to be identical to SJ size white pastels with no way of telling what you are looking at unless it's got red or green jewels, but even then not necessarily, because pastels could also have colored jewels...

5) No matter what I call the white pen below in an ebay listing somebody is going to claim misrepresentation.

A) The battle ship gray pen is most definitely a pastel in SJ size,

The copper colored pen is most definitely a SJ

C) The pink pen is most definitely a purse pen...

D) So what the heck is the white pen with it's SJ dimensions, black jewels and white pastel coloring?

Click to view attachment

And there is the rub!!!

here is my thought:

When Esterbrook made the pastels it was more than likely meant to target women. That said, and when some nurses saw the white pen, they said "hey, that will go with the uniforms" and viola, the name "nurses pen" was born. I never really thought that Esterbrook made a pen specific for the medical field. As for the jewels, it's what ever color they had in the plant at that time.

"Hey Bill, you got anymore of the black plastic pellets?"
"Nope but I got some red in today"
" that works because I ran out of levers too and I saw some of the spoon ones on the shelf. It's not like anybody really cares"

Hmmm. The nurse/doctor's pen with the red jewels--that sometimes appear in sets with black jeweled pens--is an arbitrary color? (Not that I've ever seen a doctor or nurse have in pocket or ever use two differently colored pens.) I could have sworn I've seen photos of sets and boxes that imply medical marketing; maybe I'm wrong. The pastel jewel colors can seem pretty illogical, though. That factory hypothesis seems completely possible.

That grey pen is pretty wild: I have a grey purse pen that is far more stubby. I didn't know there were pastels that SJ-like. Is that contemporary with the icicle (just guessing)? Is the plastic like that of the purse pens, or "cheaper," if possible?

Um... Wow. Where can I get the battleship gray one? I think I need this, asap!...

I recently bought a lovely set of "Nurse Pens" after wanting them for a while, one with black jewel and the other with red. I definitely recall these existing in sets with medical marketing, including thermometers -- or was that only Waterman? I also remember reading some historical article about them being used by nurses. During what years were these pens produced?

The gray pastel SJ is actually on ebay right now. Just search for my ebay user ID a_schultz01 and you can see it with more pics and description. Word of warning though, if you want it I'd use the Buy It Now because at current count I have 27 people "watching" it in their "my ebays."

Adam

On the doctor's/ nurse's pens debate; somewhere on Brian's site there are sets with the color coded pens and thermometer cases from Dollar, Single jewel Transitional and Double Jewel J series so there were definitely sets marketed to and specifically for the medical fields. There is another discussion in the forum here too that discusses the color coding on the pens. My grandmother was a veteran's home nurse for many, many years and she told me that the day shift used red, the night shift used green and the attending doctor made corrections or notes in black or blue. It seems that there is at least a regional president for color coded nurses notes.

There appear to be alot fewer of these pens floating around but also alot fewer people chasing them so the values are pretty reasonable in my estimation.

One other note... Brian's site mentions that the larger pastel pens are extremely rare but he is talking about an LJ not an SJ. Personally I've seen these two pastel SJs but no more than that. Do any of the more seasoned collectors have any anecdotal info on rarity of these larger pastels?

Adam

The gray pastel is now in classifieds if anybody is interested in an uber-rare estie...

Adam

I think these pens fit in with your classifications. I had forgotten about the "full size" white pencil, though.



White pencil w/ black jewel;
3 pastel pencils;
white* pastel pen with white jewels;
white pastel-sized (marked Educational Sample) pen w/ black jewels;
white SJ-sized pen with black jewels
blue SJ
blue LJ
blue J

* This pen is slightly discolored (darker) rather than faded. Some of the original sticker remains, and the pen is very white underneath.

Best regards, greg